24/08/2023 - The Spanish producer’s first film is an Andalusian-set gothic tale that she wrote herself; the La Claqueta, Perdición Films and Menuetto Films production is now at the editing stage

In May, the shoot began in and around Huelva for the feature-length directorial debut by producer Elena Manrique. The Party’s Over is a film “with characters straddling two worlds and two stages of life, whom you love but, at the same time, you can’t stand… because of their whims and needs”, according to the filmmaker. E Martínez (who will also appear in El salto [+see also:
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The storyline, also written by Manrique, was selected to take part in the Mediterranean Film Institute scriptwriting workshop. “The Party’s Over is a story in the most classical sense of the word. Like all those classical tales, it also offers a reflection on survival and how a person’s determination and destiny – yes, luck or the lack thereof always rears its head – can help us move on from an unforgiving fate,” states the first-time director, who is currently immersed in the process of editing her film in France.

The synopsis introduces us to an African emigrant who hides in the shed of a manor house in Andalusia, from where he observes daily life and the dynamic between the lady of the house and her young housemaid. One day, he is found out by the former and, sometime later, by the latter as well, but each one hides him from the other, until an unexpected event blows the lid off the secret.

Elena Manrique has spent more than 20 years working as a film and television producer. Standing out among the titles she has been involved in in this capacity are Cell 211 [+see also:
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She is now debuting as a feature director and seems unlikely to be afraid to experiment, because previously, she has directed a very diverse range of medium-length films, shorts and creative audiovisual works, including 60 Minutos (part of LittleSecretFilms), Cena de Navidad and Another Man Another Day (at the Sitges Film Festival). She also co-wrote the screenplay for Ciudad Delirio with its director, Chus Gutiérrez.

The Party’s Over is a production by Olmo Figueredo González-Quevedo, Belén Atienza and Sandra Hermida. The executive producers are Sara Gómez, for La Claqueta PC, Story Capital AIE and Perdición Films, and it is a co-production with Belgium’s Menuetto Films. It has received support from the Ministry of Culture – ICAA, plus backing from the Andalusian Agency of Cultural Institutions, Creative Europe – MEDIA and the Eurimages fund. It also boasts the involvement of RTVE and Movistar Plus+. Its international sales will be overseen by Goodfellas.

(Translated from Spanish)